PT Specialties_Is Your Balance Setting You up For an Injury

PT Specialties_Is Your Balance Setting You up For an Injury

Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

DID YOU KNOW THAT 1/3 OF THE POPULATION OVER 65 FALLS EACH YEAR? Most people don’t think about keeping their balance in shape until it is too late and they suffer a harsh fall. The good news is that most falls can easily be prevented, simply by the regular exercising of your balance system. If you have recently sustained a balance-related injury, it is important to seek the help of a physical therapist immediately, in order to avoid additional injuries in the future. It is important to note that you should also contact a physical therapist if you have any of the following symptoms: Get BackOnYour Feet With Physical Therapy

• Arm Or Leg Weakness. • Abnormal Eye Movements.

• Dizziness Or Vertigo (“Spinning” Sensations, Even When Remaining Still). • Inability To Focus Or Remain Alert. • Double Vision Or Tunnel Vision. • Nausea Or Vomiting.

• Difficulty Standing Up FromA Seated Position Or Standing For Prolonged Periods Of Time.

Do you frequently notice an imbalance, dizziness, or unsteadiness that makes you feel as if you may fall over at any given time? Have you suffered from a fall in the past? Are you worried that you may be at risk of sustaining a fall-related injury? If so, contact Physical Therapy Specialties today so we can help you figure out the root of your problem and treat it accordingly.

AM I AT RISK OF FALLING? Some people have a higher risk of falling than others. Certain risk factors include:

• Advanced Age. • Being Female.

• Diabetes. • Previous Stroke Or Heart Attack. • Arthritis Or Alternative Joint Pain. • Problems With Vision. • Problems With Walking Or Staying Balanced. • Fatigue. • Overall Poor Health.

• Living A Sedentary Life. • Previous History Of Falls. • Vertigo Or Dizziness. • Parkinson’s Disease. • Alzheimer’s Disease. • Heart Disease.

Your physical therapist will assess your medical history to determine how many risk factors toward falling you may have. They will educate you on what these factors mean, as well as steps you can take to decrease your risk. After this, they will perform a thorough physical evaluation to figure out what the best treatment plan for you will be.

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Exercise Essentials Try these simple exercises to help keep you loose and pain-free... Share this with a friend or family member to help keep them healthy, too!

Imporves Balance

Stretches Hips

BALANCE | ANKLE STRATEGY Stand with good posture. Sway backwards and for- wards keeping your knees and hips straight. Maintain your balance by using your ankles. Sway for 30 sec- onds. Rest. Repeat 5 times.

HIP ADDUCTOR STRETCH Improve the strength and coordination of your hip muscles. Begin in the side lunge position as shown. Your leg should be out to the side and slightly behind you, both feet flat on the floor. Keeping your back straight, lunge deeper to the side until you feel a stretch along the inside of your leg. hold for ten seconds and repeat three times on each leg.

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

Who do you know that needs our help?

Refer a Friend Do You Have Friends or Family Unable to Do The Following? 9 Move without pain 9 Bend and move freely

9 Balance confidently and securely 9 Sit for long periods comfortably 9 Walk for long distances 9 Live an active and healthy lifestyle

If you know someone suffering with aches and pains give the gift of health. Refer them to Physical Therapy Specialties today. Pass along this newsletter or have them call us directly for a Physical Therapy Consultation.

“Working in the pool has extremely decreased my pain as apposed to land exercises.” Jennifer PT and Hima.

Call Today! 925.417.8005

HOW WILL PHYSICAL THERAPY HELP REDUCE MY FALL RISK?

A recently published systematic review by Cochrane, comprised of over 100 randomized controlled trials, supports exercise interventions as an effective treatment method for patients with an increased risk of falling. The average age of patients in this review was 76, and 77% of the patients were women. Results concluded that those who participated in exercise interventions had a 23% decrease in falls as compared to the control group. Fall risk was also reduced at 21-24%, depending on if treatments were done in individual or group settings. The risk of fall-related fractures was decreased by 27% and the number of falls that required medical attention was decreased by 39%. Concluding statements from the authors demonstrated how overall, “Exercise reduces both the rate of falls…and the number of people experiencing falls.” At Physical Therapy Specialties, your initial physical evaluation may consist of several parts to better determine what your most problematic factors are. Thesemay include vision tests, thinking tests, resting heart rate checks, active heart rate checks, and evaluations of your gait, balance, range of motion, and strength. Based on the results of this evaluation, your physical therapist will design a treatment plan around your specific needs. These plans are aimed first and foremost at reducing your risk of falling, but they will also aid you in improving balance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall movement. Some common forms of treatment include: • PAIN MANAGEMENT. If you are feeling painful anywhere, it will be one of the first things addressed in your treatment plan. Your physical therapist will want tomake sure that your treatment is as comfortable

as possible, so you will work together on relieving pain first, before continuing into any other forms of physical activity that may bring you discomfort. • WALKING AND MOVING PROGRAMS. This part of your treatment plan is aimed at getting you back to your normal physical function when walking and/or moving. Your physical therapist may ask you to perform certain activities, such as walking in a circle or completing an obstacle course. • BALANCE TRAINING. Balance is a large part of fall prevention, as lack of stability is one of the main reasons why falls occur. Your physical therapist will design a balance training plan for you as part of your treatment, andmay ask you to performcertain balance-based activities, such as standing on one leg or holding your balance while performing amentally-stimulating task (such as reciting the alphabet or reading a page from a book.) • STRENGTHTRAINING. Strength training is typically paired with your balance training. Your physical therapist will design a strength training plan for you, which will focus on specific muscle groups in need of improvement. The goal of this will be to improve your standing and walking balance, aswell as your ability to recover froma loss of balance. • ENDURANCE TRAINING. Endurance training is all about working up tomore advanced levels of the same formof treatment. Your physical therapist will provide you with an aerobic exercise program and will slowly add on time to those exercises as your endurance improves. For example, your endurance trainingmay begin at 10-minute sessions and then may progress to 30-minute sessions. Are you ready to get back on your feet by improving your balance and decreasing your risk of sustaining a fall-related injury? Contact Physical Therapy Specialties to schedule a consultation and get started today!

Come Back In For A Consultation Whether you want to come in for a check-up, suffered a recent injury or you want to improve your health, a doctor referral is not needed. In the state of California you have direct access to physical therapy!

Save time

See our physical therapists for: • Recent injury • Nagging aches and pains • Back and neck pain • Joint pain and movement problems • Walking or balance difficulties

Improve your health naturally

Save money

IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE

TIPS & TRICKS

Back into a corner and stand just far enough away from the walls so that you are not touching the walls, but could easily use the walls to steady yourself. Cross your arms and position your feet so that you are still able to balance, but feel a little challenged. Use these pictures to figure out the right foot position for you.

• Pay attention to your feet – especially the pressure you feel on the forefoot and heel of the right and left foot. Point your toes forward to feel this more accurately. • Try to control your sway (toes equal weight to heels, right equal to left)! • When you are ready try these exercises with feet together, then with one foot in front of the other. • The goal of these exercises is for you to maintain your balance with less help from your eyes and ears. The exercises are designed to cause an “error” (increase sway) and your job is to correct this error. • NOT “Practice makes perfect” BUT “Perfect practice makes perfect.” • Control your head movements- try to move at a speed that is challenging, but also allows you to keep your balance. Move your head through your full comfortable range of motion both with eyes open and with eyes closed. • Never let the speed of your head movement be the reason you lose your balance! • Remember, you are in charge of how difficult these exercises can be.

1. Stand steady, eyes open and count to 30.

2. Stand steady, eyes open and move your head up and down

• Work up to 10 perfect repetitions.

3. Stand steady, eyes open and move your head from side to side

• Work up to 10 perfect repetitions.

4. Stand steady, eyes closed and count to 30.

5. Stand steady, eyes closed and move your head up and down.

• Work up to 10 perfect repetitions.

6. Stand steady, eyes closed and move your head from side to side

• Work up to 10 perfect repetitions

REPEAT THIS EXERCISE ROUTINE AT LEAST 3 TIMES EACH DAY!

BENEFITS OF SPRING CLEANING Allergy Symptom Reduction. A thorough cleaning can greatly reduce the amount of dust in your home, which is helpful since about 20 million Americans are allergic to dust mites, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Cleanliness Produces Happiness. Maybe you don’t enjoy the process of cleaning, but the end result will leave you smiling. A study at the University of California, Los Angeles even found that having a clean home can improve your mood and reduce your risk of depression. Declutter and Do a Good Deed by Donating. An essential part of a successful spring cleaning is getting rid of old items that are no longer used or worn. Apply the rule of thumb that if you haven’t made use of something in a year, it’s time for it to go. Fill bags and boxes of things, then donate them to a local charity so they can still be beneficial to someone else. Giving to others is an act that is associated with greater self-esteem, lower stress levels, and overall happiness.

Saxbe, DE and Repetti, R. “No place like home: home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. January 2010. Accessed 4 April 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19934011.

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Patient Spotlights What our patients have to say! “I was able to get a complete full range of movement/stretch and increased mobility.” “Pool therapy was definitely an eye-opener. Before I came to PTS I thought that land therapy was what I needed in the beginning, then I would go into the pool toward the end... wrong! In the pool, you don’t fight gravity, and I was able to get a complete full range of movement/stretch and increased mobility. Because my muscles had gone soft due to injury, the water was a great equalizer. I didn’t feel the effects of how hard I worked until I tried walking the steps to exit the pool, then the gravity hit me. What an eye-opener!

I had Jennifer for my therapist, who is an absolute sweetheart. She pressed me into working through my exercises and gave precise instructions. I was not able to coast through my rehab like I initially thought I would. It was a tough workout, but it was good! Soon I will be looking forward to my next knee replacement and working with Jenn in the warm pool.” - M.C. “Over the years I’ve increased my strength and flexibility and I continue to lose weight.” “I’ve been coming to Aqua-lates class for about 8 years now and I love it! Over the years I’ve increased my strength and flexibility and I continue to lose weight. Darlene is a highly motivated and professional instructor and she gives us different types of exercises that challenge our balance.” - E.A. “Aquatic Exercise class is important to me because it has helped to increase my strength and overall balance.” “Aquatic Exercise class is important to me because it has helped to increase my strength and overall balance. I love the social aspect too. I have meant good friends in this class and the best part is when we all get together for special aqua luncheons.” - S.K.

Talk to the experts! • Caitlin Cooper, PT • Jennifer Freitas, PT • Stephen George, PT • Catherine Noel PTA • Ida Hirst, PT

• Michael Petrak, PT • Shahrin Ahmad, PT • Shabeeba Shafi, PT • Dina Stepanek, PT

Email us: [email protected] CALL TODAY! 925.417.8005

CALL TODAY! 925.417.8005 3908 Valley Ave., Suite B Pleasanton, CA 94566

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INSIDE: • Get Back On Your Feet With Physical Therapy • How Will Physical Therapy Help Reduce My Fall Risk? • Patient Spotlights • Come Back In For A Consultation • Exercise Essentials